Material handling apparatus with a two section bucket assembly



March 19, 1968 F, J, NESSLINGER ETAL MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS WITH A TWO SECTION BUCKET ASSEMBLY 4 Sheets-Sheet 1. 3

Filed Feb. 5, 1966 INVENTORS:

March 1968 F. J. NESSLINGER ETAL 3,

MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS WITH A TWO SECTION BUCKET ASSEMBLY 4 Sheets-Sheet? Filed Feb. 5, 1966 .Mm 2 5 B WM a a I A k WWW, z w

March 19, 1968 F. J. NESSLINGER ETAL 3,373,887

MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS WITH A TWO SECTION BUCKET ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 3, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet Z5 @Z; mjw

ATTOR March 1968 F. J. NESSLINGER ETAL 3,373,887

MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS WITH A TWO SECTION BUCKET ASSEMBLY 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 5, 1966 United States Patent Ofiice 3,373,887 Patented Mar. 19, 1968 3,373,887 MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS WITH A TWO SECTION BUCKET ASSEMBLY Fritz J. Nesslinger, College Point, and Arthur C. Borgman, Franklin Square, N.Y., assignors to Harsco Corporation, Harrisburg, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 3, 1966, Ser. No. 524,803 6 Claims. (Cl. 214-703) The present invention relates to material handling apparatus more particularly of the type wherein material, as concrete for example, is hoisted in a bucket and discharged into the open end of a chute or hopper.

Known apparatus for a similar purpose has embodied a hopper open at its top end which may be releasably secured at different positions vertically along a skeleton type tower, and a bucket which after loading can be hoisted into position for automatically discharging its contents into said open end of the hopper. In some types of such apparatus, discharge of material, as concrete, into the hopper, requires relatively complex and powerconsuming mechanisms, as, for example, devices for lifting and tilting or laterally moving the bucket with its contents. In other forms of such apparatus, the contents of the bucket are retained by a gate at its bottom end which, under some conditions, is difficult to operate or maintain or unduly obstructs or limits free flow of the concrete from the bucket.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention has been to provide material handling apparatus which can readily be installed and effectively used in hoisting towers of any conventional or other suitable skeleton type. A further object has been to provide simpler and more enduring and reliably operating mechanisms for automatically releasing the contents of the bucket and more freely and rapidly discharging the same into the hopper without tilting, tipping or otherwise moving the bucket and contents out of the normal or vertical path of travel thereof in the tower.

In general an embodiment of our invention as employed in material handling apparatus for installation and operation in hoisting towers includes an open top hopper which may be releasably mounted at any desired level in a tower, a material carrying bucket including a load supporting base and a load confining top mounted on the base and tiltable to a position for releasing a charge of concrete or the like therefrom, means for raising and lowering the bucket in said tower into and out of operative material-delivering relation to the hopper, and means arranged and adapted for automatically moving said bucket top into open or material-releasing position along with upward or load-carrying travel of the bucket and for returning said top to closed position and for releasably latching the same in said position automatically along with downward or return travel of the bucket. Said top actuating means includes guide cams on the top and cam followers adjustably mounted on the tower in operative position to engage and disengage said cams during upward and downward travel of the bucket and thereby to move the top to open position and back to closed position. A latch pivotally mounted on the bucket and means mounted on the hopper and arranged and adapted to actuate said latch operate to release said top toward the end of upward travel of the bucket to discharge the contents thereof and to lock the top in closed position on downward travel of the bucket, also while at its filling or charging station and during its upward travel toward discharge position. A material guiding plate is pivotally mounted in operative position between the bucket outlet and the open top end of the hopper to carry the discharged material across the gap between the bucket and the hopper being tiltable automatically to and from material guiding condition while the latch is retracted from locking position.

Other objects and distinctive features of our invention not above referred to will appear in the following description and claims and in the accompanying drawings Wherein we have shown a preferred embodiment of our invention and have described the same in this specification. It is to be understood that these disclosures are not intended to be either exhaustive or limiting of the invention; but on the contrary, are presented for the purpose of illustrating the invention and so that others skilled in the art may so fully understand the same, its principles and the application thereof that they may embody it and adapt it to use in various forms, each as may be appropriate to the requirements of a particular purpose.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view generally in side elevation showing portions of uprights or posts of a quadrangular skeleton type tower, a hopper releasably secured thereon, a frame and means for raising and lowering said frame in relation to the hopper, lateral guides for the frame, a bucket mounted on the frame and including a base and a top open at its top end and pivotally supported on the bucket, and means for tilting said top in one direction to release the contents of the bucket and for returning said top to bucket closing position;

FIG. 2, a fragmentary detail on enlarged scale and partly in vertical section on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3, a fragmentary detail on enlarged scale and in vertical section on the line 33 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 3a, a fragmentary detail of FIG. 3, greatly enlarged, showing the seal extending across the upper rear edge of the bucket base;

FIG. 4, a fragmentary detail in section on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5, a general view in elevation showing the relative positions of the parts when the bucket is in its upward travel and approaching discharge position in relation to the hopper;

FIG. 6, a similar view showing the bucket with the top in open or operative position to discharge the contents of the bucket into the hopper;

FIG. 7, a fragmentary view in elevation showing the hopper connected to the bucket by slide bolts whereby the hopper may be moved vertically to and from different operative positions in relation to the skeleton tower;

FIG. 8, a plan view partly in horizontal section taken from the line 8-8 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9, a fragmentary view in side elevation showing details of the latch for locking the bucket top in closed position and the discharge guide plate in retracted position;

FIG. 10, a view similar to FIG. 9 but with the latch in retracted position and with said discharge guide plate tilted to extended operative position across the gap between the bottom or discharge end of the bucket and the adjacent upper edge of the open end of the hopper;

FIG. 11, a fragmentary view from the line 1111 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12, a view similar to FIG. 11 but with the discharge guide plate omitted to show a sealing element provided at the bottom end edge of the bucket top;

FIG. 13, a fragmentary view on enlarged scale on line 1313 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14a, a fragmentary detail in elevation of the rotatable latch at one side of the bucket, there being a similar latch at the opposite side, with the hook ends thereof engaging laterally extending locking bars to hold the bucket top in closed material confining position;

FIG. 1417, a similar view showing the angular position of one of the latches and its cam elements in relation to the cam actuating pins mounted on the hopper, said parts being in the relative positions occupied by them when the latch hooks are in partly retracted position or raised out of detaining engagement with the locking bars on the bucket top;

FIG. 14c, a similar view showing one of the latches in its end retracted position as during discharge of the bucket contents into the hopper; and

FIG. is a view in perspective of the bucket base showing spaced side walls, an inclined bottom wall and a back wall with actuating and connecting parts removed.

Referring to the drawings, apparatus embodying the present invention and adapted for handling concrete is advantageously mounted to operate in a skeleton type quadrangle tower represented in FIGS. 1 and 8 by uprights or posts 10, 19 at the left and 11, 11' at the right of said FIG. 1. A concrete receiving hopper 12 is releasably secured to posts 11, 11' by clamps 13 and 14 engaging each of said posts. A discharge chute 15 is hinged at 16 to the bottom end of hopper 12.

A frame 17 having a pair of guide shoes 17', FIG. 8, at each side is guided on vertical tracks 18, one at each side of the tower, and is raised and lowered therein by a cable 19 and hoisting mechanism not shown.

Said frame 17 mounts a concrete carrying bucket including a base 20 having spaced side walls 21 (FIG. 15), an inclined bottom wall 22 and top and bottom back wall pieces 22. A flexible sealing strip, as 68, extends across the upper edge of the piece 22.

Brackets 23 extend upwardly from rear portions (left FIG. 1) of said side walls and provide seats 24 which receive trunnions 25 extending laterally from lower rear portions of a tiltable bucket top 26 including side, front and rear walls and which is open at its top end to readily receive a charge of concrete, for example.

From the foregoing it appears that base 20 and top 26 mounted on frame 17 are raised and lowered, in effect, as a unit in normal operation by said cable 19 to carry supplies of concrete or the like from a bucket charging lower position to discharge the same into the open upper end of said hopper 12 for delivery through chute 15.

In accordance with the present invention, the side walls 27 of top 26 are connected by a rear wall 26' and a front wall 29 and have inclined bottom edges fitted with sealing strips 28, FIGS. 3 and 4, which bear snugly against opposed lateral end portions of inclined bottom wall 22 of base 20 when the top is in bucket closing position, FIG. 5, with lower end portions of said side walls 27 telescoped, FIG. 3, between the side walls 21 of bucket base 20. And lower edge portions of rear wall 26' bear snugly against the transverse sealing strips 68, FIG. 3.

As seen in FIG. 15, base 20 has no front wall, the front opening between front edges of the side walls being normally closed by the front wall 29, FIG. 3, of top 26 to retain a charge of concrete, or the like, in the bucket. To releasably retain the top 26 in material confining condition, front wall 29 thereof is provided with locking bars 30,. FIG. 12, one extending laterally beyond each side wall 21 of base 20 and with their free ends disposed in the paths of angular movements of latches 31, one of which is pivotally mounted at 32 on each side wall 21 of the base 20, FIGS. 9 and 10.

Front wall 29 of the top 26 is also fitted at its bottom edge with a sealing strip 33 which bears against the outer edge of bottom wall 22 of the bucket when the top 26 is in closing position, FIG. 13.

It is noted that there is clearance between the outer face of the bucket and the inner face of the hopper to permit free travel of the bucket between a lower or charge receiving position and a higher position at which the bucket contents are discharged into the hopper. Means are provided for bridging this space while the concrete mass is moving from the bucket into the hopper. For this purpose a guide plate 34, FIG. 9, extending across the lower end of the bucket is pivoted at its ends 35 in brackets 36 secured at opposite sides of bucket base 20 so as to swing thereon between inoperative position, FIG. 9, and operative position, FIG. 10.

Guide plate 34 is provided with triangularly shaped cam extensions 37 so positioned and dimensioned that, when latch 31 is disengaged from bar 30 and from lateral extensions 38 of said guide plate, FIG. 10, the weight of said extensions causes the upper edge of guide plate 34 to rock outwardly and its bottom edge to rock inwardly thus bringing said plate into operative extended position across the space between the bottom edge of the bucket and the top edge of the hopper where it is held by engaging a stop 39 on the bucket base while concrete is flowing from the bucket. When the empty bucket is now returned to a lower or charging position, said cams 37 initially ride rearwardly across the top edge of hopper 12 and, as the descent continues, their outer corners bear against upper portions of the rear face of the hopper to swing said guide plate into normal retracted position where it is releasably retained by latches 31 engaging extensions 38 as described above.

Each latch 31, above described, includes a hook end 40, FIGS. 14a, 14b, 14c, which with the body of the latch forms a notch 41 dimensioned and shaped to fit over a top edge portion of the locking bar extensions 30. Said notch is widened at 41 to fit over a top portion of lateral extension 38 of guide plate 34, so that when the latch is in locking position, FIG. 9, hook 40 thereof retains the top 26 in closed position and the guide plate 34 in retracted position. It is contemplated that, in operation, the bucket loaded with concrete, for example, and with top 26 locked in closed position, will be raised in the tower to a position, FIG. 6, at which top 26 is tilted to release its contents. The locking and unlocking of the bucket 'top is conveniently effected automatically by means which include cams on latches 31 and cam tripping pins supported at each side of the hopper in position to be operatively engaged by said cams to unlock the top 26 near the end of up travel of the bucket and to re-lock said top near the beginning of the return or down travel of the bucket.

As seen in FIGS. 14a, b, c, each latch 31 is provided with three angularly spaced radially arranged cams 42, 43 and 44 which project laterally from the outer sides of said latch 31. A bracket 4'5v extending rearwardly from an upper end portion of each side of hopper 12 includes an arm 46 having an upper t-rip pin 47 and a lower trip pin 48 which extend in a direction to be engaged by said latch cams 42, 43 and 44 on latch 31. Thus, when bucket 20 in its up travel brings each latch 31 to the position shown in FIGS. 9 and 14a, end cam 44 comes into engagement with under face portions of lower trip pin 48. With continued upward movement of bucket 20, latch 31 thereon, as seen in FIG. 1, is turned counterclockwise to release locking bar 30 and guide plate 34, FIG. 14b; and said latch reaches its end or retracted position, FIGS. 10 and 140, when middle cam 43 comes into operative engagement with upper trip pin 47. A lug, FIG. 14c, projecting laterally from the side wall 21 of bucket 20 serves as a stop 49 to limit the extent of counterclockwise or releasing movement of latch 31.

In a reverse operation, i.e. when the bucket moves downwardly, the rounded face of end cam 42 is intercepted by upper trip pin 42 to impart clockwise rotation to latch 31 toward locking position, said movement being completed by lower trip pin 48 which intercepts the rounded face of middle cam 43 and thus to bring said latch back to its locking position, as seen in FIG. 14a.

With latch 31 retracted sufficiently to disengage locking bar 30 and extension 38 of the guide plate 34, top 26 is tilted rearwardly to release or discharge the contents of the bucket. For this purpose said top 26 is provided at each side with a pair of spaced inclined angles operating as earns 50, 51. The upper end of cam 51 extends rearwardly beyond the rear wall of top 26 and the upper end of cam 50 leaving an opening between said cam ends so that with up travel of the bucket cam 51 moves in a path to be intercepted by a roller 52 mounted for free rotation on spindle 54 on an arm 53 which is adjustably secured to upright 10. The opposed faces of cams 50, 51 provide in effect a guide slot for said roller 52. Thus, as the bucket assembly reaches the position shown in FIG. 5, lower cam 51 is intercepted by roller 52 which, on further up travel of the bucket assembly, is brought into the slot between said cams 50 and 51 causing the top 26 to tilt rearwardly to discharging position as seen in FIG. 6. A stop plate 56, FIG. 1, positioned across the lower ends of cams 50, 51 and the slot between them limits the extent of counterclockwise tilting movement of top 26 as roller 52 is engaged in said slot.

Inasmuch as skeleton towers are commonly employed in connection with the erection of buildings using concrete in their construction, provision is made for moving hopper 12 to and from any desired operative position in the tower where it is releasably secured by said clamps 13, 14. To thus move hopper 12 from different operative positions, for example, means are provided for temporarily connecting said hopper in a manner to be raised or lowered with the bucket assembly. For this purpose, bracket arms 57, FIGS. 1 and 7, are slida-ble horizontally between cooperating vertically spaced guides 58, 59 mounted at each side of hopper 12. At its inner or rear end, each said bracket arm 57 is provided with shoulders 60, FIG. 7, which, as seen in FIGS. 1, and 6, engage the rearwardly exposed ends of guides 58, 59 to limit the extent of forward or outward movement of said bracket arms. A bracket 61 on each bracket arm 57 is connected by bolts 62 with lower clamps 14 to releasably secure a midportion of hopper 16 to upright 11. A bracket 63 also mounted on each bracket arm 64 slidable in guides 58, 59 cooperates with upper clamp 13 to releasably secure an upper end portion of said hopper to said upright. Nip screws 69 are provided to releasably secure said bracket arms in operative position in relation to their respective guides.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 7, a boss 65' at each side of base 20 is provided with spaced threaded holes 66. Each said bracket arm 57 is provided with similarly spaced plain holes 67. Thus, when it is desired to move hopper 12 up or down in the tower from its position as seen in FIG. 1, for example, bucket 20 is moved into a position, FIG. 7, wherein said holes 66 in bosses 65 come into horizontal alinement with holes 67 in said bracket arms 57. Lower clamps 14 are released from uprights 11; and said bracket arms 57 are pushed rearwardly to the position shown in FIG. 7 wherein said bolt holes register with said boss holes. Suitable stud bolts extending through holes 67 of each bracket arm 57 into holes 66 of a boss 65 securely connect the hopper 12 to the bucket 20.

Lower clamps 14 are now loosened from uprights 11, 11'; each bracket arm 57 is pushed rearwardly to and bolted in the position shown in FIG. 7; and chute 15 is swung to dotted line position, FIG. 1. Upper clamps 13 are also released from uprights 11, 11' and bracket arms 64 are pushed rearwardly sufiiciently to prevent their torward ends from striking parts of the tower structure as the hopper is moved vertically. If hopper 12 is to be moved upwardly, arms 53 on uprights 10, are repositioned at a higher part of the tower, or if downwardly at a lower position. Arms 53 may be loosened on the uprights and swung laterally to bring free end portions of said arms out of the path of travel of the rearwardly projecting cam 51 on bucket top 26. With the parts conditioned as just described, hopper 12 is conveniently raised or lowered in the tower by raising or lowering frame 17 and the bucket assembly mounted thereon. When the hopper reaches the new desired position, arms 53 are repositioned; upper clamps 13 are tightened on uprights 11, 11'; the stud bolts are slacked out of holes 67; bracket arms 57 are slid back to inoperative position; and lower clamps 14 are tightened on said uprights 11, 11' to resume the condition as see in FIG, 1.

We claim:

1. Material handling apparatus for installation and operation in hoisting towers and wherein a bucket open at its top end is mounted in operative relation to a hopper open at its top end, said apparatus including hoisting means arranged and adapted to move said bucket vertically in a hoisting tower, said bucket including a base having an inclined material supporting floor and spaced side walls, a back wall and an open front, said hoisting means operative to limit the movement of said base to a vertical rectilinear path, and a tiltable top pivotally supported on said base and having a front wall and spaced side walls positioned for telescoping with and between the side walls of said base to retain a charge of concrete in the bucket, a latch pivoted on said base at each side thereof and operatively arranged and adapted to releasably retain said top in'bucket closing and material confining position, latch actuating means on said hopper operatively positioned in the path of vertical movement of said latch and arranged and adapted to move the latch angularly into top releasing position with upward travel of the bucket and into top latching position with downward travel of the bucket, and top tilting means operatively arranged and adapted to tilt the top toward material releasing position with upward travel of said bucket and to return said top to bucket closing position with downward travel of said bucket, and a detent positioned and adapted to limit said angular top releasing movement of said latch.

2. Material handling apparatus according to claim 1 and wherein said latch is provided with laterally extending cams positioned to be operatively engaged by said latch actuating means whereby to move said latch into and out of top retaining condition.

3. Material handling apparatus according to claim 2 and wherein said cams include two end cams and a middle cam radially disposed and angularly spaced on the latch, the arrangement of said cams being such in relation to the actuating means that One end cam and the middle cam are operatively engaged by said actuating means to move the latch toward top releasing position and the other end cam and said middle cam are operatively engaged by said actuating means to move the latch toward top retaining position.

4. Material handling apparatus according to claim 1 and wherein said top is provided on each side with a pair of spaced opposed guide cams arranged at an angle to the vertical, and a cam engaging roller is rigidly supported in position for effective engagement between said guide cams to tilt the top to open condition with upward movement of the bucket to its discharge position and to return the top to closing condition with downward movement of the bucket toward reloading position.

5. Material handling apparatus according to claim 1 and wherein a bridge plate pivotally mounted at its ends on and extending across a bottom end portion of said bucket is rotatable on its longitudinal axis to and from material guiding position between said bucket and said hopper, and cam means on said bridge plate are arranged and adapted to operatively engage said hopper and thereby guide said bridge plate as it rotates on said longitudinal axis to and from material guiding position along with upward and downward travel, respectively, of said bucket.

6. Material handling apparatus according toclaim 1 References Cited and wherein said front wall of the top is provided at each UNITED STATES PATENTS side thereof with a transversely dispose-d locking bar extending laterally beyond each side of said base and across 779,051 1/1905 Matcovltch 214-740 the path of angular movement of an end portion of said 5 2545170 3/1951 Saunders 214*741 XR latch, said end portion including a hook arranged and 3323266 12/1965 Clark 214-707 adapted to operativel en a e and to be disen a ed from said locking bar and t her bg to releasably reta in said top GERALD FORLENZA Prlmmy m in bucket closing position. R. B. JOHNSON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS FOR INSTALLATION AND OPERATION IN HOISTING TOWERS AND WHEREIN A BUCKET OPEN AT ITS TOP END IS MOUNTED IN OPERATIVE RELATION TO A HOPPER OPEN AT ITS TOP END, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING HOISTING MEANS ARRANGED AND ADAPTED TO MOVE SAID BUCKET VERTICALLY IN A HOISTING TOWER, SAID BUCKET INCLUDING A BASE HAVING AN INCLINED MATERIAL SUPPORTING FLOOR AND SPACED SIDE WALLS, A BACK WALL AND AN OPEN FRONT, SAID HOISTING MEANS OPERATIVE TO LIMIT THE MOVEMENT OF SAID BASE TO A VERTICAL RECTILINEAR PATH, AND A TILTABLE TOP PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED ON SAID BASE AND HAVING A FRONT WALL AND SPACED SIDE WALLS OF SAID BASE TO RETAIN A CHARGE BETWEEN THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID BASE TO RETAIN A CHARGE OF CONCRETE IN THE BUCKET, A LATCH PIVOTED ON SAID BASE AT EACH SIDE THEREOF AND OPERATIVELY ARRANGED AND ADAPTED TO RELEASABLY RETAIN SAID TOP IN BUCKET CLOSING AND MATERIAL CONFINING POSITION, LATCH ACTUATING MEANS ON SAID HOPPER OPERATIVELY POSITIONED IN THE PATH OF VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF SAID LATCH AND ARRANGED AND ADAPTED TO MOVE THE LATCH ANGULARLY INTO TOP RELEASING POSITION WITH UPWARD TRAVEL OF THE BUCKET AND INTO TOP LATCHING POSITION WITH DOWNWARD TRAVEL OF THE BUCKET, AND TOP TILTING MEANS OPERATIVELY ARRANGED AND ADAPTED TO TILT THE TOP TOWARD MATERIAL RELEASING POSITION WITH UPWARD TRAVEL OF SAID BUCKET AND TO RETURN SAID TOP TO BUCKET CLOSING POSITION WITH DOWNWARD TRAVEL OF SAID BUCKET, AND A DETENT POSITIONED AND ADAPTED TO LIMIT SAID ANGULAR TOP RELEASING MOVEMENT OF SAID LATCH. 